Braid: Anniversary Edition

Braid Anniversary Edition is an audiovisually refreshed version of the Braid platform puzzle game, originally released in 2008 for Xbox 360. The remaster is the responsibility of the independent Thekel studio founded by Jonathan Blow. It is a team that has also created an award-winning original, which in its time stands out from other members of the genre with its advanced ability to manipulate time, and The Witness, a first-person adventure game with logical elements.

Plot

The main hero of Braid Anniversary Edition is a boy named Tim, whose house is filled with portals to other fantastic worlds. He sets off on an adventure full of obstacles to find and rescue the princess kidnapped by the mysterious monster.

The story, which plays an important role in the game, is told mainly by means of static text boards.

Mechanics

The gameplay mechanics of the Braid Anniversary Edition has not changed compared to the original from 2008. It's the same classic platformer with the environmental puzzles that require logical thinking, during which you have to manipulate time accordingly. This is necessary to avoid obstacles and ultimately complete the level. Remaster does not introduce any new mechanics or stages.

The levels in the Braid Anniversary Edition were constructed in the typical two-dimensional platform games style. So you have to jump to higher platforms, collect puzzle elements, eliminate enemies, as well as avoid fire traps or spikes sticking out of the ground.

The main attraction of the game is the possibility of time manipulations. Each of the worlds visited is ruled by slightly different laws in this aspect. The most classic way of making changes is to undo activities that have already taken place. This allows the player to bring the controlled character back to life or repeat the failed jump. Interestingly, time reversal does not have to involve a short period.

A player can even return to the starting zone of a given level, depending on his/her preference. Innovations related to time travel include, among other things, interacting with magical objects that are not affected by these changes. The player must skillfully use these objects to successfully solve the puzzles.

It is also worth mentioning about the regions where staying motionless automatically stops the passage of time, or locations where it becomes possible to stay in parallel in two different dimensions.

Technical aspects

Braid Anniversary Edition offers an even higher level of graphic design than the original. They keep a characteristic, distinctive design of the background, which seems to be painted in watercolor technique. The graphic design is more detailed and every detail can be viewed even in 4K without any unpleasant blurring effect.

The game's remastered edition supports higher resolutions and offers levels repainted by David Hellman, as well as completely new and smoother character animations. The sound quality was also improved and new mixes and variants of music recorded by the Danish composer Martin Stig Andersen (creator of soundtracks to Control and Limbo) and Hans Christian Kock (responsible for the sound in such series as Bedrag and Friheden) were added.

There is also an option to switch between the old and the new version of Braid, and to activate an extended developer's commentary during the game, in which the producer not only refers to the work on his own production, but also touches upon the topics of programming and designing video games.